Gabitril Fact Sheet

Medication Name (brand):

Gabitril

Medication Name (clinical):

tiagabine

Manufacturer:

Cephalon

Indications:

Adjunctive treatment of epilepsy.
A small amount of evidence for efficacy in anxiety; used sometimes for substance abusers as a non-addictive alternative to benzos, but evidence of efficacy for this is lacking.

Mechanism:

GABA Reuptake Inhibitor

Dosing:

Supplied in 2 mg, 4 mg, 12 mg, and 16 mg tablets.
Dosing recommendations in PDR are applicable to epileptic patients already on other anti-seizure meds that induce Gabitril’s metabolism, so these are not applicable to typical psychiatric dosing.
In psychiatry, anecdotal reports suggest starting at 2 mg BID and increasing by 2 mg increments as needed. Max recommended PDR dose is 32 mg QD.
No dose adjustment required for elderly or in renal impairment. Reduce dose in patients with hepatic impairment.

Side Effects:

Most common are dizziness, sedation, jitteriness, tremor, and impaired memory/concentration.
Postmarketing reports have shown that Gabitril can induce seizures in patients with no history of epilepsy, although this is rare.

Drug-drug Interactions:

Metabolized by CYP 3A and several other enzymes. Enzyme inducers such as Tegretol (carbamazepine) may decrease Gabitril levels.

Pearls:

High fat meals decrease rate of absorption.
Half-life 7-9 hours.

Return to

Novel Anticonvulsants

issue area